Nayanar Dipavali Lamp

A rare dipavali lamp used by the Saiva Siddhanta sect of Shaivism for agamic rituals. Nine cotton wicks soaked in oil would have been used, casting a prabha. The central figure depicts one of the Nayanar saints, Kannappa Nayanar who was devoted to Lord Shiva. He is depicted carrying his bow and has one foot resting on a lingam.

Thinnan was a reputed hunter and archer who once came across a shrine dedicated to Shiva in the forest wilderness. Thinnan was inexplicably attracted to the Lingam and felt the desire to provide offerings. Not knowing the correct rituals he decided to offer him meat from his latest hunt and bathed the Lingam with spittle from the nearby stream. Aghast at the site of the shrine covered with meat and spittle, the local Brahman priest hid behind the shrine to see who was committing these acts. The next time Thinnan returned he noticed blood running out of the lingam’s left eye. Unable to stop the bleeding, he cut out his own eye and placed it on the linga, stopping the bleeding. Suddenly, the lingam’s right eye started bleeding and he proceeded to cut out his right eye. As he could not see the lingam anymore, he placed his leg on the lingam as a guide to place his right eye. Recognising his sacrifice, Lord Shiva appeared in front of Thinnan and healed him. Lord Shiva blessed the Brahman and Thinnan for their devotion and declared that Thinnan was a Nayanar saint. Thinnan thus came to be known as Kannappa Nayanar.

The lamp is conceived as the vehicle through which the divine can be accessed. Lamps are used in rituals within the domestic realm, as well as religious or temple settings, in order to propitiate the gods. There are innumerable ways in which lamps are employed depending on the specific location and society. Within the more private setting of the home, the lamp is used in Hindu practice to activate the presence of the deity with the arti ritual – the moving of a lamp, held on a plate, in a circular fashion in front of an image. This allows the devotee to acknowledge and to accept blessings.